Beech 200 incident near Burlington, Vermont, February 15, 1989
On February 15, 1989 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Beech 200, registered N123D, was involved in an incident near Burlington, Vermont. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PREFLIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN A FROZEN ELEVATOR SURFACE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1989 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Vermont
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N123D · registry record · serial BB-1219
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CHARTER CAPTIAN EXPERIENCED RESTRICTED MOVEMENT TO THE ELEVATOR DURING CLIMBOUT ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT OF ORIGIN. THE PILOT FOUND SNOW AND SLUSH BRUSHED INTO THE OPENINGS FOR THE ELEVATOR HINGE ASSEMBLY AND SUSPECTED THAT THIS TRAPPED MOISTURE FROZE TO THE HINGE CAUSING THE RESTRICTION. THE PILOT SAID THAT THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED ONLY WET WING SURFACES, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE INTO THE OPENINGS ON TOP OF THE ELEVATOR.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,900 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Evans Air
The flight
- Destination: BED Bedford MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded at 400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.